Thursday, December 2, 2010

reverb - Day 2

I was up at 4:30 this morning with some pretty gnarly pain coming from somewhere in my digestive tract. A little bit of a mystery really, and Nancy Drew is on the case! I didn't get back to bed until around 7 so I was awake for the arrival of the daily reverb prompt.

Writing. What do you do each day that doesn't contribute to your writing --

and can you eliminate it?

To answer that question a little bit backwards, what I need to help my writing is pretty much what I’m seeking out in my life in general. Structure and confidence.

Blogging is creating structure for me. Participating in events like reverb and AEDM push me to write everyday. Theme days, and knowing that there are people out there looking forward to what I have to share helps too.

Building my confidence means squashing all the disbelief. I never thought of myself as a writer, in any way. Essays and reports in high school and college invoked dread, and tears. I've always been quite articulate, yet my thoughts never flowed onto paper or screen, and usually got quite tangled on the way. The best way I heard someone describe it: It's like putting a tornado through a straw! Yes, exactly. I realize now that part of my struggle was that I was living in survival mode. My poor brain was using up too much energy fighting off imaginary dragons to keep anything else organized. Also, it was safer for me to keep myself tucked away, free from criticism or vulnerability. The beautiful flip side is that as I heal, and get stronger, the more I want to share. The more I share, and feel that I am being heard and understood, the easier it gets.

So thank you, for reading this. Readers keep me writing. And to those of you out there writing, keep writing, because all of the amazing stuff that I read compels me to write to you.

2 comments:

Confidence is the thing. It was the word I used for my first Art, Heart and Healing painting. Check out my thoughts at http://poetryintheprose.blogspot.com/2010/10/confidence.htmlif you like. Blogging and painting have so boosted my confidence - it's been incredible.